Kristinehamn

Kristinehamn
Kristinehamn Town Hall
Kristinehamn
Coordinates: 59°18′N 14°07′E / 59.300°N 14.117°E / 59.300; 14.117Coordinates: 59°18′N 14°07′E / 59.300°N 14.117°E / 59.300; 14.117
Country Sweden
Province Värmland
County Värmland County
Municipality Kristinehamn Municipality
Area[1]
 • Total 13.36 km2 (5.16 sq mi)
Population (31 December 2010)[1]
 • Total 17,839
 • Density 1,335/km2 (3,460/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)

Kristinehamn is a locality and the seat of Kristinehamn Municipality, Värmland County, Sweden, with 17,839 inhabitants in 2010.[1]

Geography

Kristinehamn is situated by the shores of lake Vänern. To be precise, it is situated where the small rivers Varnan and Löt drain into the lake.

It has a harbour and is a railroad and road transportation center.

Nearby towns include Karlskoga and Karlstad and is located exactly in the middle of Oslo, Stockholm and Gothenburg with 250 km to each of them.

History

Kristinehamn in 1700, in the work Suecia antiqua et hodierna.

The location has had a resident population for centuries, at least since the stone age time. The town was then built alongside the bridge over river Varnan. Its name was Broo (or Bro) until 1642, and "Bro" literally means "Bridge" in Swedish.

Kristinehamn got a Royal Charter for the first time in 1582 but lost it in 1584, and regained it in 1642, and changed its name in honour of the monarch Queen Christina of Sweden. It thus qualifies as one of Sweden's historical cities. Its city arms were designated with a bojort, which is a Dutch ship in use in the 17th century.

Sites of interest

Pablo Picasso statue
  • By the shores of lake Vänern stands this 15 meter high Pablo Picasso statue at 59°16′24″N 14°03′05″E / 59.273279°N 14.051522°E / 59.273279; 14.051522 since 1965. The statue was designed by Picasso, but built and inaugurated without him visiting the construction site. Picasso never visited Kristinehamn. Its 15 meters make it the tallest Picasso Sculpture in the world (except for the Chicago sculpture that is actually 15.2 Meters in height.)
  • The oldest runestone in the county of Värmland, the Järsberg Runestone, is located in Järsberg around 1 km outside the city, with origin back to 500 AC. The latest interpretation of the runes was made by Sven B. F. Jansson. Quotation: "My name is "Ljuv". My name is "Ravn". Me "Eril" am making the runes". A pearl from the same period of time has been found in the area.
  • Kristinehamn Church was designed by professor Carl Georg Brunius and was first opened in 1858. The church also has a museum in the sanctuary gallery that is worth a visit because of its unique architecture.

Sports

The following sports clubs are located in Kristinehamn:

Notable people

  • Bo Christian Larsson (1976- ), an artist who works mostly with large-sized drawings, installations, and performance art

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Tätorternas landareal, folkmängd och invånare per km2 2005 och 2010" (in Swedish). Statistics Sweden. 14 December 2011. Archived from the original on 10 January 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
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